Fracking is used in 36 states with widely varied regulations. Drillers use the technique in new areas without adequate government oversight that fully evaluates the effects on human health and the environment. By using large amounts of water, fracking can cause a shortage of local water resources. The chemicals used, which drillers claim are proprietary secrets, can poison drinking water, rivers, and lakes from toxic underground leaks and above ground spills. Documents obtained by the New York Times show that fracking wastewater containing radioactivity far higher than federal regulations say is safe is sometimes hauled to sewage plants which cannot adequately treat it and then discharged into rivers that supply drinking water. There have been over 1,000 documented cases of water contamination near drilling sites around the country.

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MN's Leading Election System

With Secretary of State Steve Simon

Listen to Secretary of State Steve Simon's excellent presentation on MN's outstanding election system emulated by many other states at the Think Again Brooklyns forum January 19, 2016. Secretary Simon includes ways in which it can be improved, and he explains why it is important to vote. He concludes with a quote from a tee shirt: "Failure to vote is not an act of rebellion. It is an act of surrender."

In January, Oregon became the first state in the country to begin automatically registering eligible citizens to vote when they obtain or renew their driver's licenses or state IDs, completely shifting the burden of voter registration from the individual to the government.